Wittrisch was born in Antwerp, Belgium to a German family, and subsequently studied in Munich, Leipzig, and Milan.
The fact that Wittisch was able to carve out a fine career in the face of competition from such renowned German tenor rivals as Richard Tauber, Helge Roswaenge, Franz Völker, Julius Patzak, and Peter Anders, among others, testifies to his talent.
Wittrisch's singing in its prime period during the 1930s was characterised by a fresh, gleaming tone and easy top notes.
As his voice matured, he undertook heavier operatic roles such as Wagner's Lohengrin in 1937 at the Bayreuth Festival and eventually Siegmund and Parsifal after the Second World War.
According to the English music critic J B Steane: "Though less individual in style [than Tauber], he was certainly comparable in timbre and less restricted in the upper register."